Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, March 6, 2008

Students were sent home at 9:25 a.m. Thursday, 15 minutes before the conclusion of a CAPT reading test.

Bethel High School Principal Pat Consentino said students affected by Thursday's early dismissal have two options: Submit the test as is or retake the test at a later date.

Sue Dolan, whose son is in 10th grade, said it's unfortunate the situation occurred in the middle of CAPT testing. Dolan is also a member of the Bethel Education Foundation board.

"My son said there was about a half-hour left in the test and they weren't allowed to complete it," she said. "I'm not sure if they would have to make up the entire section or if they will be allowed to complete it. It's unfortunate, because it already takes so much time to complete these tests."

Lisa Smith, who also has a child in 10th grade, said the tests are already stressful for the students.

"I feel bad for the kids," she said.

Smith added that the district's plans to let kids retake Thursday's portion of the test sounded like a fair compromise.

CAPT testing will resume Monday as scheduled, according to information posted on the school district's Web site.